Use Your Digital Art Tools to Paint Faces!

For the most part, the face is something we are all very familiar with. We can read the expression on our friends and family members with ease. And yet, putting in on paper, or in this case, a digital canvas, is harder than you think.

Of course, if you’re focusing on landscape, then you can ignore this section for the most part. However, that is not to say you will not paint characters in the near future. When that happens, just be glad you know how to paint faces!

1. The structure of the head

Nothing is more important than learning the head when you paint faces. This is because every expression changes the shape of the head in some form or another. For example, a frown creates wrinkles in the forehead not found in a passive face.

Another reason that you need to learn the structure of the head first is simply due to proportions. To paint faces correctly, you need to know where and how it relates to the proportions of the face. This is where learning how to draw the skull, how to paint face muscles, and how to paint the face helps.

On top of that, learning the head gets you in the habit of painting the whole picture first and then adding details, like the lashes on the eyes, later.

When you start painting the whole picture first, you will get better results. It’s the same idea that you learned when you paint with light for details out of a solid black object.

2. Learning the features

Besides the shape of the head, you will need to learn about the features as you paint faces and the expressions it gives off. There are few features that all of us are familiar with.

For starters, the eyes are windows to your character’s focus. What is he or she looking at? What is he or she expressing from those stares? Hence you will learn how to draw eyes by looking at the main anatomical parts of the eyes.

Of course, you will also have a chance to paint eyes that you have drawn using your digital art program.

This will apply for all the other features As you learn how to draw the nose, how to paint the nose, draw the mouth, paint the mouth, draw the ears, paint the ears, draw the hair, and how to paint the hair.

3. The expressions

You will paint sad faces, happy faces, angry faces, confused faces, and a lot more! The goal is to get familiar with these expressions as it relates to the overall head and facial muscles.

On top of that, you will know the relationship of the facial features and how it affects other features. For example, a smile can raise the cheek and reduce the size of the eye openings.

In doing so, you can apply your new found knowledge into creating surreal and mythical characters.

Thus, knowing how a human face operates can help you immensely for when it is time to be creative on your own terms.

4. Putting it into perspective

Literally!

Learning how to paint faces is one thing, making sure it’s at the right angle is another thing altogether!

Remember how you learned about the different levels of perspective? Well, ask yourself a few questions regarding this problem. For example, if my face was looked on in one angle, how will I paint it?

If a bird was looking up at me, what will the creature see? What if an insect was looking up at me? What will it see?

We will deal with the head in perspective from eyelevel by looking at the head below eyelevel and the head above eyelevel. This will encourage you to really examine the properties of perspective even farther.

When you are ready, feel free to start your own portrait. Use this digital portrait tutorial as a guide.

After we have mastered how to paint faces, the next order of things to accomplish on the ‘to do’ list is linking it with the rest of the human body.

For now, keep on practicing what you have learned thus far on your digital canvases!

Return from Paint Faces to the 2d Digital Art Guide.

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